Rachel created a DIY cognitive intervention to address her chronic lateness using text messages containing affirmations derived from cognitive therapy. Over 10 days she tracked her planned and actual leave times. Initially her lateness decreased but then returned to baseline levels. She realized sending too many texts each day and focusing on arrival rather than departure time did not work. Rachel needs to address irrational beliefs sustaining her lateness and combine cognitive restructuring with behavioral interventions to succeed.

1. It’s TIME to
be on time!
o
Rachel Melissa Fuchs
DIY Intervention

2. Problem
Late! Late! Late!
Previous attempts:
Making a schedule
Planning in advance
Setting Alarms
A new attempt:
Attempt to change cognitions

3. Conceptual Framework
From Clinical Psych:
Aaron Beck (Cognitive Therapy) – restructuring
irrational thoughts/beliefs
“Act as if”
Affirmations
From Social Psych:
Roy Baumeister – Anticipating an emotional
response
IcekAjzen – Self-Efficacy
Incorporating my Identity (make it about who I
am)

4. Rationale
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS:
Following a schedule/consistency = no longer free
It’s not a big deal if I’m late; it doesn’t effect anyone else really
I have plenty of time to sit on the couch and listen to NPR, go on
the internet, cook and fine tune clothing, jewelry and shoe
choices
Text messages can challenge these beliefs using conceptual
frameworks
10pm = night before, encourage to prepare for day
6am = waking up, look at my phone to turn off alarm
8am = should be on my way out the door, if not alarm may
motivate me to do so.
Change the time that LEAVE the house; that will make sure I
focus on the part I can control (I can’t control traffic)

5. DIY Intervention
Time
10/21
10/22
10/23
10/24
10/25
10/26
10/27
10/28
6am
I am reliable
and leave on
time
I am RELIABLE
and people can
DEPEND on me.
It feels good to
know that I am
NOT LETTING
OTHERS DOWN
by being TIMELY.
When I LEAVE
and arrive ON
TIME, it is
incredibly
FREEing.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED
BEING there for
OTHERS is more
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE.
I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and ON
TIME than to look
good
People can
DEPEND on me
because I AM
RELIABLE. When
I know that I am
NOT letting other
PEOPLE DOWN
by being timely, it
FEELS GOOD.
It is incredibly
FREEING when I
leave and arrive
ON TIME. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free
“I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and on
time than to look
good. Being there
for OTHERS is
MORE
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE”
I am RELIABLE
and people can
DEPEND on me.
It feels good to
know that I am
NOT LETTING
OTHERS DOWN
by being TIMELY.
8am
It feels good
to arrive on
time
“It is incredibly
FREEING when I
leave and arrive
ON TIME. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free”
I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and on
time than to look
good. Being there
for OTHERS is
MORE
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE”
I am RELIABLE
and people can
DEPEND on me.
It feels good to
know that I am
NOT LETTING
OTHERS DOWN
by being TIMELY.
When I LEAVE
and arrive ON
TIME, it is
incredibly
FREEing.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED
BEING there for
OTHERS is more
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE.
I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and ON
TIME than to look
good.
People can
DEPEND on me
because I AM
RELIABLE. When
I know that I am
NOT letting other
PEOPLE DOWN
by being timely, it
FEELS GOOD.
It is incredibly
FREEING when I
leave and arrive
ON TIME. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free
10pm
“I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and on
time than to look
good. Being there
for OTHERS is
MORE
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE”
“BEING there for
OTHERS is more
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE.
I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and ON
TIME than to look
good.”
“People can
DEPEND on me
because I AM
RELIABLE. When
I know that I am
NOT letting other
PEOPLE DOWN
by being timely, it
FEELS GOOD.
It is incredibly
FREEING when I
leave and arrive
ON TIME. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free
“I would MUCH
RATHER be of
service to my
fellows and on
time than to look
good. Being there
for OTHERS is
MORE
IMPORTANT
than my
APPEARANCE
I am RELIABLE
and people can
DEPEND on me.
It feels good to
know that I am
NOT LETTING
OTHERS DOWN
by being TIMELY.
When I LEAVE
and arrive ON
TIME, it is
incredibly
FREEing.
Timeliness makes
me FEEL GOOD
and free. I feel
RELAXED and
PREPARED
No SMS

6. Data
10/16
10/17
10/18
10/19
10/20
10/21
10/22
10/23
10/24
10/25
10/26
Planned Leave Time
830
9
8:50
4:40
did not leave
house
7:45
8:45
815
315
730
930
715
Actual Leave Time
8:45
915
9:20
4:48
did not leave
house
8:08
8:48
8:22
3:07
740
943
730
Early (-)
Late (+)
+15 min
+ 15 min
+30 min
+8 min
n/a
+23 min
+3 min
+7 min
-6 min
+ 10 min
+13 min
+1 min
10/27
10/2
8
10/2
9
+10-20
min
+1020
min
+10
-20
min

7. Results
Initial decrease in lateness, quickly reversed and back to
baseline
After five days: BURNOUT
Stopped reading texts altogether
Changes reversed and I reverted to initial state:
Stopped keeping track of time; intervention wasn’t
“working.”
Feelings:
Guilt
Frustration
Annoyance
Exhaustion

8. What I learned from my
DIY
Three text messages a day = too much
6am = asleep/getting ready, don’t always
look at my phone, turn off alarm and ignore
phone
8am = trying to leave, don’t look at my
phone until I get in my car
Phone remains on silent in the morning:
forget to turn off silent mode, need to be
quiet
Put too much pressure on self, thought
about DIY constantly

9. What ELSE I learned
When lateness trend began to reverse, feelings
arose and a sense of failure, compounded every
time I “failed” provoked me to give up
2/3 of messages addressed arriving on time not
leaving on time; perhaps I need to choose ONE
Leaving late I could still make it on time because,
for example, I often allot 1.25 hours for a 55
minute drive: need to address BEING EARLY
rather than on time?
Combining Cognitive Restructuring with
Conditioning/Behavioral Interventions?
THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!